Fountain pen



Jan. 7, 1936. I J. c. SHERMAN 2,026,657

FOUNTAIN PEN Filed Jan. 18, 1934 Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOUNTAIN PEN John C. Sherman, Gorham, Maine Application January 18,1934, Serial No. 707,138

1 Claim. (01. 120-42) This invention relates to a fountain pen more particularly of the type equipped with a glass or similar ink container or vial as part of the pen assembly. Its objects is the provision of a pen I that permits of quick assembly of the ink container therewith; that permits of quick removal of the ink container therefrom; that gives no trouble on account of ink leakage even after long continuous service; and that is made up of but u few, comparatively simple and inexpensive parts.

The pen of the present invention is equipped with a usual head end portion having an inkfeeding channel leading to the nib that projects from such portion. The holder or barrel of the pen is removably secured to the head end portion and together therewith defines a hollow or chamber within which the ink container may be located in operative relation to the parts of the head end portion. The ink container of the present invention, which is preferably a vial of glassor similar rigid transparent material, has a bored plug of resiliently compressible, inkproof material tightly engaged in its outlet end portion. The head end portion of the pen of the present 35 invention has an open-ended nipple projecting therefrom which is tightly engageable in the bore of the ink container plug so as to conduct the ink flow from the container to the ink-feeding channel leading to the nib, the form andarrangement of the nipple being such that it is an easy and virtually foolproof matter to plug an ink container onto the nipple in the desired operative and leakproof relationship therewith and to remove an exhausted ink container therefrom.

35 With the foregoing and other features and objects in view, I shall now describe my invention with particular reference to the' accompanying drawing, wherein,---

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a pen embodying my invention.

Figure 2 represents an enlarged vertical section through the pen with a cap or closure inserted over its head end.

Figures 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 33 45 and 4-4 respectively of Figure 2.

Figure 5 represents a section through an ink container or vial such as is used in the pen of the present invention. I

Figure 6 depicts in perspective a kitfull of such 50 containers.

As best shown in Figure 2, the head end portion or part ll) of the pen of the present invention may be constructed essentially as a socket and include a cylindrical opening or recess .for

55 receiving tightly therein the inner end portion ll of a plug l2 for holding the nib l3 firmly in place in between the plug and the wall of the. opening. The plug l2 may have the usual inkfeeding channel l4 therein leading to the nib. It is shown provided with a bore 12a at its inner 5 end portion II for conducting the ink to the feed channel It by way of one or more ports |2b formed through the plug wall. The inner end of the recess for the plug is defined by a partition or web l5 from which projects inwardly into the hollow of the pen an open-ended nipple l6 communicating with the bore l2a. .The hollow or cylindrical chamber of the pen isdeflned by the tubular holder or barrel l1 and an annular flange l8 projecting from the partition IS. The barrel 15 I! may be removably secured or joined to the flange I8 in any suitable way, 'for instance, as by threaded engagement between the inner wall of the head end portion Ila of the barrel and the outer wall of the flange l8, as shown, the 0 outer surfaces of the flange and barrel being flushwith each other.

, The ink container or vial to be used as part of the pen assembly of the present invention may,

as shown in Figure 5, consist of an elongated cylindrical bottle 20 of glass, celluloid, or other suitable rigid and preferably transparent material. The bottle illustrated is slightly constricted at its outlet end portion 2!, whose wall is somewhat thicker and stronger than the rest of the bottle wall. The outlet end is equipped with a bored, resiliently compressible plug 22, for instance, a rubber plug or stopper, although such materials as good grade cork might be used. The plug 22 makes a tight fit with the outlet wall portion 2| of the bottle, preferably being compressed as shown to less than its normal diameter at the region 22a where it makes contact with the outlet wall portion so as to ensure a leakproof fit thereat.

The bore or opening through the plug or stopper 22, which is shown as occurring centrally therein, may be sealed by a pin 23 which is preferably of diminishing taper toward the interior of the bottleand is headed at its exterior extremity by a knob 230. which facilitates gripping of the pin, its insertion in the plug, and its removal therefrom. Vials or containers of this type may be pre-filled with ink, plugged, sealed with the pins, and sold to the user of the pen in a kit or carton 24, as illustrated in Figure 6.

The bottle full of ink may be assembled with the pen of the present invention by simply removing the pin 23 from the plug 22 and pushing the plugged bottle upwardly so as to engage the nipple I6 tightly in the bore of the plug. To this end, it is desirable that the outer wall of the nipple be, as shown, perfectly smooth and of gradually diminishing taper toward its plug-engaging end so that it can slip easily into the bore of the plug and be wedged into tight leakproof engagement in the plug. The bottle 20 is preferably of a length and diameter occupying practically the entire hollow or cylindrical chamber of the pen. It is desirable, however, that a space be left between the bottom of the bottle 20 and the closed end of the barrel H in which space a rubber packing element 25 or other resiliently compressible material may be fixed as by rubber cement so as to engage or bear against the bottom of the bottle and thus hold it against displacement from operative position on account of vibration, sudden shock, or other disturbances of service. The packing element 25 preferably has an inverted mushroom configuration, as shown, so that it may be properly aflixed to the curved closed end of the barrel I! with the curved surfaces in contacting bonded relationship. v

When the bottle 20 is made of glass or other transparent or translucent material, one or more longitudinal slots 26 may be advantageously formed through the wall of the barrel I! for the purpose of permitting the user of the pen to sight the ink supply present in the bottle and thus be apprised when the bottle is nearly exhausted and will hence have to be replaced by a filled bottle. The head end portion of the pen may be equipped as ordinarily with a cylindrical cap 21 when not in use, the cap being adapted for frictional-engagement with the head end portion, as shown, or being adapted for threaded engagement therewith.

The various parts of the pen, excepting the nib,

those parts whose material of construction I have already mentioned and the plug 1 2, which is preferably made of rubber, can be fashioned from any suitable metal such as aluminum or be molded from the various plastics customarily used in 5 making pen parts. There are essentially only two permanent parts to the pen, namely, the head end portion l0 and the holder or barrel H, which parts are simple and inexpensive to fabricate from aluminum or other ductile metals. 1

a nib to which said channel leads projecting from said head end portion and held in place by said plug, a holder removably secured to said head end portion and together therewith defining a hollow,

a rigid ink container located within said hollow and having an outlet end portion adjacent to said head end, a solid plug of resiliently compressible inkproof material tightly engaged in said outlet end portion and having a bore therethrough commensuate with its depth through chick ink may flow, and an open-ended nipple projecting from said head end portion and resiliently wedged in the bore of said plug and making an ink-tight fit therein at its external surface, said nipple having a smooth external surface substantially throughout of gradually diminishing taper toward its 30 plug-engaging end, making pressure contact with the wall of said bore substantially throughout the wall area surrounding said nipple, and being adapted to conduct the ink from said container to the ink-feeding channel in said first-named plug and said ink container being removable by mere pulling it away from said nipple.

JOHN C. SHERMAN. 

